Chippewa Valley Times

The excitement of being a featured designer at Omaha Fashion Week isn’t lost on Bex Cermin: going backstage, seeing her creations modeled on the runway, and networking with other designers, investors, and buyers.

The event, scheduled from Thursday to Sunday, Aug. 22-25 in Omaha, Nebraska, has become the fourth largest fashion week in the U.S., expected to draw more than 10,000 people viewing work from 36 designers.

Cermin’s goal with her nature-inspired collection is to momentarily transport the crowd away from the bright lights and glamour. “Each look represents a moment in nature. I want the audience to feel like they can relate to that environment,” she said.

Clothing designs by UW-Stout graduate student Bex Cermin are inspired by nature, including Leafed in Lilacs. They will be featured Aug. 23 at Omaha Fashion Week in Omaha. Cermin is a student in the Master of Fine Arts in design program at UW-Stout and also teaches in the fashion design and development undergraduate program.

She will present seven looks and a total of 15 pieces of clothing she designed and created this summer in the Fryklund Hall Apparel Production Lab. The designs feature patterns found in nature that she has gleaned from licensed photos. The designs include five for women and two for men:

- Morning Light

- Prairie Desert

- Leafed in Lilacs

- Falling Water

- Mossy Overgrowth

- Grandma’s Garden

- Winter Cloud

The fashion show presents a high-profile opportunity to reveal her expanded vision of how apparel design intersects with principles of design and nature.

This vision was largely born from a project on the biophilic effect she developed during a graduate research course with Professor Julie Peterson. The biophilic effect highlights humans’ affinity for nature and how representations of nature can lower blood pressure, speed healing, among other benefits.

“It helps our well-being in the built environment,” Cermin said.

She conducted a research project titled “Un.Real” during which she surveyed 70 people on their reactions to three plants: one real plant; one knitted from textiles; and another knitted plant that included bird sounds and scents.

Survey participants’ reactions to the third plant were as strong or stronger than those toward the real plant, proving to Cermin that both direct and indirect forms of nature can evoke similar responses. Designs that bring elements of the outside world indoors can be impactful.

“To me, it was not about the real plant but the experience of nature. It inspired me to create this new collection and bring this research experience into apparel,” she said.

Cermin’s collection will be modeled during Friday's event for featured or professional designers. The show is also a competition; if successful, Cermin could return as a headliner at future events. The first half will showcase emerging designers.

While showcasing her apparel is central to her ambitions within high-end fashion design, Cermin also envisions branching into home décor influenced by biophilic principles. “I’m fascinated by how textiles can convey stories related to specific geographic areas,” she said.

Cermin grew up surrounded by natural beauty in St. Croix Falls where her parents owned St. Croix Floral—a setting that has always inspired her creativity.

Her participation at Omaha Fashion Week has been supported through several grants including two from UW-Stout's M.F.A program as well as one from Omaha Fashion Week itself covering materials and travel expenses.

The M.F.A., part of UW-Stout's School of Art & Design requires students to develop focus areas based on their creative interests using an interdisciplinary approach allowing customization according to individual skillsets.“I love the program,” Cermin noted while appreciating professors' support towards her special interest area within fashion design.

Erik Evensen—M.F.A Program Director—commented positively about Cermins’ interdisciplinary creativity since joining their program blending graphic design illustration textile sculpture along with fashion/apparel concepts seamlessly.“Our program encourages connecting various dots through graduate research," he stated emphasizing broad thinking processes covering initial concept execution context user-experience altogether."

As anticipated graduation approaches next May alongside ongoing teaching responsibilities post-graduation aspirations involve full-time teaching roles within either apparel/fashion-design programs coupled continuing creative endeavors."It’s important for students seeing professors engaging inspiring activities," emphasized adding prior educational experiences across London College-Fashion/New York Institute-Art&Design internships Centric Brands-NewYork future presentation goals NewYorkFashionWeek holding bachelor-degree-apparel merchandising/design IowaStateUniversity."